Sloth bear of Mysore
Encyclopedia
The Sloth bear of Mysore was an unusually aggressive India
n sloth bear
responsible for the deaths of at least 12 people, and the mauling of two dozen others. It was killed by Kenneth Anderson
, who described it in his memoirs Man-Eaters and Jungle Killers:
The reasons given to explain the Mysore sloth bear’s unusual behaviour varied. Some of the natives within the bear’s killing range thought that the bear was a sow taking revenge on humanity after her cubs were stolen
. Others thought that it was a male which had previously abducted a young girl as its mate, only to have her rescued by the villagers, thus inciting the bear’s anger. Kenneth Anderson believed that the bear had previously been injured by humans and altered its behaviour accordingly.
, 105 miles north-west of Bangalore
in Mysore State
. It made its home in the numerous boulder strewn hillocks, from where it would come down to forage in the fields. As its boldness increased, it began harassing people in both daylight and night-time hours.
In typical sloth bear fashion, the animal attacked its victims' faces with its claws and teeth. Those who survived its attacks usually lost one or both eyes, some their noses while others had their cheeks bitten through. Those who died often had their faces completely torn from their heads. At least three of the victims had been partially eaten.
friend of his named Alam Bux sent him a postcard, urgently asking him to come to his home, a shrine situated between Arsikere and Shimoga. Bux’s 22-year-old son had been fatally mauled by the bear at 9:00 p.m., having unintentionally disturbed it while it was feeding on fallen fig
s.
Anticipating an easy hunt, Anderson did not come prepared for a long trip, having brought with him for the hunt just an electric torch
, a .405 Winchester
rifle, and a single change of clothes. Arriving at the shrine early in the evening, Anderson planned to wait until darkness to shoot the bear. Starting his search near fig trees, Anderson walked for a mile and a half without spotting the bear. He then unsuccessfully searched groundnut
fields before finally returning to the shrine. For the rest of the night, Anderson made two subsequent tours, both of which proved unsuccessful. At noon the next day, Anderson was taken to the mouth of what was thought to be the bear's cave. After throwing stones into the crevice with no results, Anderson returned to Bangalore, asking Bux to inform him by telegram should the bear attack again.
, a small town between Chikmagalur and Kadur
, had been seriously mauled by the bear, one fatally. Anderson was contacted by the District Forest Officer of Chikmagalur who requested that Anderson come and shoot the bear. Anderson requested precise coordinates for the bear’s whereabouts, and was answered ten days later that the bear lived in a hillock three miles from the town, near a footpath leading to a lake called the Ionkere. It was also revealed that the bear had since mauled the Forest Guard during a regular patrol. Anderson left for Chikmagalur and set up his headquarters in a small house owned by the Mysore Forest Department. At 4:30 the next afternoon, a man rushed to the bungalow, stating that the bear had mauled his brother, a cattle grazer near the hill where the bear had allegedly laired.
Setting forth with a rifle, a torch and three or four helpers, Anderson journeyed six miles into the jungle for an hour and a half before coming across a heavily scrubbed hill. The helpers refused to accompany him any further, and Anderson followed the general directions given by the victim’s brother of the attack's location. After searching for a while through the thick brush, Anderson heard the faint moans of the victim, whom he found lying at the foot of a tree, unconscious and severely mutilated. Realising that he was dying, Anderson carried the man for a short distance, before collapsing from a sprained ankle. The victim died at 5 in the morning, and Anderson was found later by Forest officials and a dozen villagers. He was hospitalised at Chikmagalur for a week before resuming the hunt.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
responsible for the deaths of at least 12 people, and the mauling of two dozen others. It was killed by Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Anderson (writer)
Kenneth Anderson was an Indian writer and hunter who wrote many books about his adventures in the jungles of South India.- Background :...
, who described it in his memoirs Man-Eaters and Jungle Killers:
The reasons given to explain the Mysore sloth bear’s unusual behaviour varied. Some of the natives within the bear’s killing range thought that the bear was a sow taking revenge on humanity after her cubs were stolen
. Others thought that it was a male which had previously abducted a young girl as its mate, only to have her rescued by the villagers, thus inciting the bear’s anger. Kenneth Anderson believed that the bear had previously been injured by humans and altered its behaviour accordingly.
First attacks
The bear began its attacks in the Nagvara Hills, east to the town of ArsikereArsikere
Arsikere is a town in the Hassan district in the state of Karnataka, India. Arasikere is a major railway junction on the South Western Railway...
, 105 miles north-west of Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
in Mysore State
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...
. It made its home in the numerous boulder strewn hillocks, from where it would come down to forage in the fields. As its boldness increased, it began harassing people in both daylight and night-time hours.
In typical sloth bear fashion, the animal attacked its victims' faces with its claws and teeth. Those who survived its attacks usually lost one or both eyes, some their noses while others had their cheeks bitten through. Those who died often had their faces completely torn from their heads. At least three of the victims had been partially eaten.
First hunt for the bear
The bear’s depredations first came to the attention of Kenneth Anderson when an aged MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
friend of his named Alam Bux sent him a postcard, urgently asking him to come to his home, a shrine situated between Arsikere and Shimoga. Bux’s 22-year-old son had been fatally mauled by the bear at 9:00 p.m., having unintentionally disturbed it while it was feeding on fallen fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s.
Anticipating an easy hunt, Anderson did not come prepared for a long trip, having brought with him for the hunt just an electric torch
Flashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
, a .405 Winchester
.405 Winchester
The .405 Winchester is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 1904 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle. It was the most powerful lever-action cartridge available until the .444 Marlin was introduced in 1964, and was highly regarded by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt during his safari...
rifle, and a single change of clothes. Arriving at the shrine early in the evening, Anderson planned to wait until darkness to shoot the bear. Starting his search near fig trees, Anderson walked for a mile and a half without spotting the bear. He then unsuccessfully searched groundnut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
fields before finally returning to the shrine. For the rest of the night, Anderson made two subsequent tours, both of which proved unsuccessful. At noon the next day, Anderson was taken to the mouth of what was thought to be the bear's cave. After throwing stones into the crevice with no results, Anderson returned to Bangalore, asking Bux to inform him by telegram should the bear attack again.
Second hunt for the bear
One month later, two woodcutters in SakrepatnaSakrepatna
Sakrepatna is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Kadur taluk of Chikmagalur district in Karnataka.-Demographics:As of 2001 India census, Sakrepatna had a population of 5550 with 2808 males and 2742 females....
, a small town between Chikmagalur and Kadur
Kadur
Kadur is a taluk in Chikmagalur district, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It was formerly, a district in the Mysore state, with an area of 2813sq. m. Pop. , 362,752, showing an increase of 9% in the decade.-Geography:Kadur is located at...
, had been seriously mauled by the bear, one fatally. Anderson was contacted by the District Forest Officer of Chikmagalur who requested that Anderson come and shoot the bear. Anderson requested precise coordinates for the bear’s whereabouts, and was answered ten days later that the bear lived in a hillock three miles from the town, near a footpath leading to a lake called the Ionkere. It was also revealed that the bear had since mauled the Forest Guard during a regular patrol. Anderson left for Chikmagalur and set up his headquarters in a small house owned by the Mysore Forest Department. At 4:30 the next afternoon, a man rushed to the bungalow, stating that the bear had mauled his brother, a cattle grazer near the hill where the bear had allegedly laired.
Setting forth with a rifle, a torch and three or four helpers, Anderson journeyed six miles into the jungle for an hour and a half before coming across a heavily scrubbed hill. The helpers refused to accompany him any further, and Anderson followed the general directions given by the victim’s brother of the attack's location. After searching for a while through the thick brush, Anderson heard the faint moans of the victim, whom he found lying at the foot of a tree, unconscious and severely mutilated. Realising that he was dying, Anderson carried the man for a short distance, before collapsing from a sprained ankle. The victim died at 5 in the morning, and Anderson was found later by Forest officials and a dozen villagers. He was hospitalised at Chikmagalur for a week before resuming the hunt.